Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1887-10-14
TIE STAGE ROBBERS.
AN INSTANCE IN WHICH THE ROAD
AGENTS SUSPENDED OPERATIONS.

An Ex-Soldier Who Did Not Throw Up
His Hands-An OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
gers Making a Fight-what Became OF
q Captured Brigand.
"On one occasion was one of party of
half dozen making the trip overland in
stage coach. At point on the mountain
road favorable to such operations the stage
was stopped by six or eight men on horse
back, and the passengers were ordered to
hold up their hands. We were all very ready
to do this except one man. All that knew
of this individual was that he had been an
officer In the armyvnd that he was on his
way west 10 look after the mining interests
of some New York capitalists When the
stage robbers came close to us with the de-
mand that we surrender, my ex-soldier
acquaintance did not respond by throwing up
his hands, but looked with an odd sort of
smile into the face of the fellow who made
the demand. The latter raised his revolver
with quick, menacing movement, but was
stopped by the simple word 'Steady' spoken
with peremptory suddenness by our soldier
friend
VERY much to our surprise the man who
held the revolver changed the shooting iron
from his right hand to his left caught the hand
OF the man he had been threatening, gave it
hearty shake, looking steadily into his eyes
with a look that puzzled us while it did not
reassure u.s. The ex-officer stepped out of the
stage and after a few minutes conference
with the stage robbers, who in the meantime
had suspended operations, he took his seat
again and the driver was directed to proceed
on his way. No explanation was made, but
was given to understand that the officer had
met in the stage robbers two or three men of
his old regiment and a good many years later
met one Of those men in the employ of his
old commander.
THE WOUNDED PRISONER.
ION another occasion, when a stage coach
was attacked by several mountain brigands,
the passengers agreed to make a fight against
them. The fight was, very much to the dis
comfiture of the peace loving part of the
crowd, the more stubborn because there were
men on both sides who, having been trained
to shoot liked to shoot. In the end the stage
robbers were driven off, leaving one of their
men badly wounded ON the ground 1t was
resolved to take this wounded man to the
next station and turn him over to the proper
officers, but just before we came to the next
stopping place two of our own party left the
stage, carrying with them the wounded
prisoner.
"The driver intimated that they were going
to lynch him, and a committee of the passen.
gers was appointed to protest against such
outlawry, but on investigation we found that
instead of lynching the fellow, the two men
who had gone away with him turned him
over to his friends, who seemed to be await
ing his arrival. Later we learned that the
stage robber had been a soldier, and that the
two men who became so interested in his
behalf had also been. soldiers. During the
ride after the fight they had come to the
conclusion that they would not turn him over
to the officers of the law, but give him into
the hands of his friends, and he managed tc
tell them quietly where his friends could fine
him. Chicago Inter Ocean